Duchene on Tavares

Should be a fun one tomorrow night at the Can, where No. 1 pick John Tavares and the Islanders take on No. 3 pick Matt Duchene and the Avs.
Some video of Dutchie – named December’s NHL rookie of the month today -talking below about the matchup, but first a couple other notes:
– Craig Anderson will play in net.
– Brett Clark is going to have a minor “procedure” on his bruised cheekbone (he took a slap shot to the face by Alexei Kovalev last week in Ottawa) and is going to be out a few days. When he comes back, he’ll wear a full protective shield, probably for a month and a half or so.
– Marek Svatos didn’t skate today (groin, team indifference).
– A final wrap-up column I did on the Winter Classic for Versus.com

Lets go Mattttty, Lets go Mattty haha only 1 pt down from John. Tavares was supposed to be King of Hockey , and we all wanted his butt here too. Hope #9 gets 2 pts and John is shut down or he gets a big #52 Foote up his A.s :)

reukeboom

Anybody with criticism about Clark should give it a rest until he is healed… taking a slapshot to the face? Amnesty! (I think he's a really good player anyhow, but he does deserve some credit for this).

Peterman

You can tell this guy is holding something back. I think he'll be stoked to match up against Tavares and show him who's the REAL rookie of the year!I will be in attendance… Let's hope I don't freeze like a popsicle at the light rail station :D

GHB

Ovechkin is King Of Hockey.Ovie wouldn't allow Duchess to wash his jock.Tavares will be 10 times the player that Duchene will ever hope to be. He wasn't selected # 1 for nothing. Duchess's point of late have come from many, many, many secondary assists that had nothing to do with the resulting goal. If you watched games, you'd know that. But it's pretty obvious that you just look at the stat sheet and think that Duchess makes 40 foot saucer passes right on the tape every time. Secondary assists are cheap.

avaholic

Dater, whats “really” goin' on with Svats. Mystery wrapped in a shroud.

lauren

You're ridiculous.

JRod

nice flow Dutchie. Almost too nice…get that mane cut!

Fols

There's no crown on Ovi's head until he gets it done in the Olympics and a Stanley Cup…last time I checked he had neither…. But your right, he's the king of the regular season.Comment on secondary assists has got to be the most pathetic thing i've ever read on these message boards. GHB's attempt at stats = Epic Fail. Tavares averages more ice time because on that pathetic team he's not only made the team, he's getting first line playing time. Also results in more power play opportunities that Matt gets. So if secondary assists are cheap, you've probably gotta admit then that power play points are cheap too (if I can dummy down to your logic for a minute) since the majority of his points come when the other team is playing with fewer men on the ice. Bottom line, they are both top notch talent and it's fun to have one!

Blue

Actually, if you count it, it's Crosby – 1 Cup, Ovechkin – 0 Cups. Ovechkin may be a superstar, but he's failed to do for his team what Crosby has done for his, considering the Pens and Caps were both at the same level of craptasticness when they came into the league. And everyone knows that in hockey, you're really nothing until you've won a Cup. So hail King Crosby … and this coming from an Ovechkin fan.

ard8

General rule of thumb: when someone thinks they're clever for mocking a person's name, they've typically not yet reached puberty. It's pretty amazing that he knows what a jock is.As for the statement that Tavares wasn't picked 1st for nothing? Good point. Oh wait, do you remember Patrik Stefan? How about Alexander Daigle? Brian Lawton? And, to a lesser extent, Roman Hamrlik, or as Theo Fleury called him, the gutless puke? It takes time and development to judge young talent. Like, when OV was 18 his season totals were 13G, 10A. But I'm guessing none of them were secondary assists. Oh wait, he was actually playing for Dynamo then so it's apples and oranges.I love Ovechkin, he's a total joy to watch. But, his greatness doesn't diminish Croby's, Malkin's or Thornton's. Or the potential folks are seeing in Tavares, Stamkos, Duchene, Doughty and Kane. It's a great time to be a hockey fan, too bad not all “fans” can see that.

Cletus

Off TopicWatched USA beat Canada in the Junior World Championships last night on NHL Network. Great game. USA wins 6-5 in OT. Ray Bourque's son was a winger for Team USA. Pretty good young talent hitting the NHL soon.

Gruppo

One of Ray Bourque's sons has already hit the NHL. His name is Chris. He was drafted by the Washington Capitals a few years ago. He played a handful of games for the Caps, was waived for salary cap reasons, and picked up by Pittsburgh. The Pens waived him again this season, and the Caps reacquired him. He's playing in Hershey (AHL).

I randomly picked this spot to reply. So to the commentor,this isn't a direct assault on you.Thanks.It's a terrible thing when people use individuals as pawns when addressing the overall success of a whole team. To wit: Ovie hasn't done for the Capitols,what Crosby has done for the Pens. Comments of this nature lend to the true hockey fan,the idea that those making these statements are ill informed,and not really true hockey fans.Or maybe they're just hockey fans who haven't learned the whole concept of the game yet.Having played the game for many years myself,I learned very early that team accomplishments were never gained by the efforts of one player.You could have a player that was cloned from Gretzky,Lemieux,LaFleur,Howe,Orr,Yzerman,Gilmore,Clarke,Sittler,Beliveau,The “BIG” M,etc.etc.Put that Cryogenetically Hockey Morphed Superstar on the ice against 5 schmucks,and he WILL NOT WIN A GAME. If you compare player against player,you will find that they both Hallmark exceptional qualities,but at the same time will have something each,that the other is also lacking.So now what? You incorporate their skills with the skills of four other players.Do you know what this makes? A TEAM. You can't make egg nog without an egg. Let's try and respect each player,as individuals with their own individual skills. I think you will then find,the true skills exemplified by each individual,and in doing so will then make you realize that,YES,he is a great player,and a GREAT contributor.But the fact will always remain that nothing will ever be accomplished by the greatness of one,but rather by the greatness of one team. Now lets write some good comments Okay Lads?

Fols

There's no crown on Ovi's head until he gets it done in the Olympics and a Stanley Cup…last time I checked he had neither…. But your right, he's the king of the regular season.Comment on secondary assists has got to be the most pathetic thing i've ever read on these message boards. GHB's attempt at stats = Epic Fail. Tavares averages more ice time because on that pathetic team he's not only made the team, he's getting first line playing time. Also results in more power play opportunities that Matt gets. So if secondary assists are cheap, you've probably gotta admit then that power play points are cheap too (if I can dummy down to your logic for a minute) since the majority of his points come when the other team is playing with fewer men on the ice. Bottom line, they are both top notch talent and it's fun to have one!

Blue

Actually, if you count it, it's Crosby – 1 Cup, Ovechkin – 0 Cups. Ovechkin may be a superstar, but he's failed to do for his team what Crosby has done for his, considering the Pens and Caps were both at the same level of craptasticness when they came into the league. And everyone knows that in hockey, you're really nothing until you've won a Cup. So hail King Crosby … and this coming from an Ovechkin fan.

ard8

General rule of thumb: when someone thinks they're clever for mocking a person's name, they've typically not yet reached puberty. It's pretty amazing that he knows what a jock is.As for the statement that Tavares wasn't picked 1st for nothing? Good point. Oh wait, do you remember Patrik Stefan? How about Alexander Daigle? Brian Lawton? And, to a lesser extent, Roman Hamrlik, or as Theo Fleury called him, the gutless puke? It takes time and development to judge young talent. Like, when OV was 18 his season totals were 13G, 10A. But I'm guessing none of them were secondary assists. Oh wait, he was actually playing for Dynamo then so it's apples and oranges.I love Ovechkin, he's a total joy to watch. But, his greatness doesn't diminish Croby's, Malkin's or Thornton's. Or the potential folks are seeing in Tavares, Stamkos, Duchene, Doughty and Kane. It's a great time to be a hockey fan, too bad not all “fans” can see that.

Cletus

Off TopicWatched USA beat Canada in the Junior World Championships last night on NHL Network. Great game. USA wins 6-5 in OT. Ray Bourque's son was a winger for Team USA. Pretty good young talent hitting the NHL soon.

Gruppo

One of Ray Bourque's sons has already hit the NHL. His name is Chris. He was drafted by the Washington Capitals a few years ago. He played a handful of games for the Caps, was waived for salary cap reasons, and picked up by Pittsburgh. The Pens waived him again this season, and the Caps reacquired him. He's playing in Hershey (AHL).

I randomly picked this spot to reply. So to the commentor,this isn't a direct assault on you.Thanks.It's a terrible thing when people use individuals as pawns when addressing the overall success of a whole team. To wit: Ovie hasn't done for the Capitols,what Crosby has done for the Pens. Comments of this nature lend to the true hockey fan,the idea that those making these statements are ill informed,and not really true hockey fans.Or maybe they're just hockey fans who haven't learned the whole concept of the game yet.Having played the game for many years myself,I learned very early that team accomplishments were never gained by the efforts of one player.You could have a player that was cloned from Gretzky,Lemieux,LaFleur,Howe,Orr,Yzerman,Gilmore,Clarke,Sittler,Beliveau,The “BIG” M,etc.etc.Put that Cryogenetically Hockey Morphed Superstar on the ice against 5 schmucks,and he WILL NOT WIN A GAME. If you compare player against player,you will find that they both Hallmark exceptional qualities,but at the same time will have something each,that the other is also lacking.So now what? You incorporate their skills with the skills of four other players.Do you know what this makes? A TEAM. You can't make egg nog without an egg. Let's try and respect each player,as individuals with their own individual skills. I think you will then find,the true skills exemplified by each individual,and in doing so will then make you realize that,YES,he is a great player,and a GREAT contributor.But the fact will always remain that nothing will ever be accomplished by the greatness of one,but rather by the greatness of one team. Now lets write some good comments Okay Lads?

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.